History A - Chapter 2 - World War 1

Alliances

an agreement between nations to be friends and support one another if attacked; WWI countries did this in secret

Mustard Gas, rifles, artillery cannons, machine guns

Weapons of WWI

The Great War

This is what WWI was called by countries and people during 1914-1918

The allies

Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Ireland, Serbia, Greece, Romania, USA

The central powers

Germany, Austria-Hungry, the Ottoman Empire

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir of the throne in Austria-Hungry, assassinated along with his wife by a Serbian terrorist group

Gavrilo Princip

From Bosnia, Murdered Franz Ferdinand and his wife, part of the terrorist group “The Black Hand“

The Black Hand

A Serbian terrorist group that Gavrilo Princip, the murderer of Franz Ferdinand, was part of

Eastern Front

Battlefield between Russia and Romania, and Germany and Austria-Hungry, Germany/Central Powers were more successful on this front

Western Front

Battlefield between France and Belgium, and Germany

Trench Warfare

Large paths dug into the ground where opposing armies’ men shot off rifles, cannons, etc, and basically lived in, in horrific conditions. Many people were killed by artillery in these.

Preparedness Movement

Movement that believed preparing for the war was the best way to stay out of the conflict

Britain cut an info cable to the U.S, Most American businesses were Pro-Britain, The passenger ship, the Lusitania, was sunk by a torpedo from German Submarines (128 Americans killed)

What things pushed the U.S to join the allies in WWI?

About 2,000; 128

How many passengers were killed on the Lusitania passenger ship? Americans?

The Lusitania

Passenger ship, sunk by a torpedo sent by German U-boats, 128 Americans died

U-Boats

German Submarines

Machine gun

a fully automatic, typically water-cooled, tripod-mounted firearm designed for sustained, rapid fire of rifle-caliber ammunition; killed lots of people

Zimmerman note/Telegram

Germany sent a telegram that promised Mexico that they would get their “lost land“ in Texas, Mexico, and Arizona back if they allied with Germany, and against the US. This got intercepted by Great Britain but the US did find out about it.

The League of Nations

Created by Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points, a general association of nations, created to preserve peace by pledging to protect and respect each other’s territory and political independence

Reparations

The Allies forced Germany to pay these; Monetary (money) compensation for all of the war damage it had caused

Selective Service act of 1917

The U.S required all men ages 21-30 to register for a draft to be drafted into the military to go into the war in 1917

no-man’s land

The space (battlefield) between the opposing sides’ trenches

Tanks

Slow, mechanically unreliable, vehicle the can crush barbed wire and cross trenches

Biplanes

Air fighting planes with double wings, eventually were armed with machine guns and fought in battles in the sky

Russian Revolution

Caused Russia to drop out of WWI, Czar Nicholas was overthrown, and Russia’s government turned communist at the end in 1917. The revolution was led by Vladimir Lenin

Nicholas II

Czar of Russia (before over thrown)

Woodrow Wilson

US President during WWI, created The Fourteen Points, wanted to put the world back together for a peaceful future

David Lloyd George

Prime Minister of Great Britain during WWI

Georges Clemenceau

Premier of France during WWI

Kaiser Wilhelm

Leader/President of Germany during WWI

Vittorio Orlando

Prime Minister of Italy during WWI

Vladimir Lenin

Caused Russia Civil War to become communist, became dictator of Russia in 1921

Franz Joseph

Emperor of Austria-Hunger during WWI

Armistice

A true or an agreement to stop fighting (ceasefire), Germany signed one of these in 1918

November 11, 1918

Germany and the Central powers surrendered and stopped fighting on this day

Treaty of Versailles

Based on the 14 points, it had punishments for Germany to have land taken from them, limited military size, make massive reparation payments to England and France as compensation, signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles

National self-determination

The idea that borders of countries should be based on ethnicity and national identity

The Fourteen Points

List of points created by Woodrow Wilson to create peace in the world, many thought it was childish and silly, based on the principle of justice to all people and nationalities

American General Pershing

Commander of the American Expeditionary Force, led the Battle of the Argonne Forest

Battle of the Argonne Forest

American troops took heavy losses (600,000 troops involved) but pushed the Germans back with the help of France

Alvin York

Received the Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre for charging a German Machine Gun nest and saving lives

Eddie Rickenbacker

American biplane pilot who flew in 134 air battles and shot down 26 enemy planes, was given a medal of honor

Artillery fire

What weapon caused the most deaths in WWI

Stopped supplying the Eastern Front

When Russia dropped out of the war, what front did they have to stop supplying?

Convoys

When British and American merchant ships were being sunk by Germany, how did they travel?

Convoy

Ships in small gathered groups travel together

The Sussex Pledge

Pledge made by Germany that they wouldn’t sink anymore merchant ships without warning the ship first

Zeppelins/Blimps/Dirigibles

Giant, rigged, balloons, the Germany used to drop bombs on British warships in the North sea

Propaganda

the spreading of ideas about an institution or individual for the purpose of influencing opinions

Stalemate

no one can temporarily win